IntroductionThe global and industry issues companies face, combined with the current turbulent financial and economic environment, are challenging even the best companies to remain focused on their core capabilities, customers and markets. To be successful in an uncertain environment, a company must make the right choices that enable it to develop distinctive capabilities and remain highly relevant to its customers and markets. Because of these changes of responses to customers, cooperation among departments becomes crucial and it is necessary to manage processes across the organization to promote cooperation swiftly.

Taking Dell as a case study, this paper focuses on the operational methods and strategies both inside and outside the corporation and how they are managed under the competitive environment in the IT era. The choice of Dell stems from the fact that it provides an appropriate case of how the management of operational processes across the organization, utilizing IT effectively, may lead to competitive advantage. First, this paper surveys Dell’s business model. Then, it analyzes process management to support the model from the perspectives of “process management inside the corporation” and “process strategy outside the corporation.”

Company BackgroundDell Inc. is an American, multinational Information Technology corporation based in Texas, United States. Founded in 1984 and named after its founder, Michael Dell, the company has become one of the largest IT corporations in the world, employing over 96,000 people worldwide (U.S Security and Exchange Commission annual report, 2010). With total revenue amounting to $52.9 billion, Dell was listed as the 38th largest company in the United States and the 5th largest company in Texas by Fortune Magazine in May 2010.

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...1. Introduction
Michael S. Dell, who founded the Dell Computer Corporation in 1984 with nothing more than $1,000 and an idea, serves as chairman and chief executive officer of the fastest-growing major computer systems business in the world.
1.1 Company Background
Dell, which was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell, the longest-tenured executive to direct a company in the computer industry, is among the world's leading computer manufacturers that has transformed and diversified into variety of business segments over the years. The company is established on a simple concept: by selling personal and business computer systems directly to customers, Dell could best comprehend their needs and efficiently supply and provide the most effective computing solutions to meet those needs. This direct business model eliminates retailers that add unnecessary time and cost to its extent or can diminish Dell's understanding of customer anticipations.
The direct selling, which has been planned and since then been stuck to, allows company to response speedily and build every system to order and offer customers powerful, richly-configured systems at competitive prices. Dell also introduces the latest relevant technology much more quickly than companies with slow-moving, indirect distribution channels, turning over inventory every four days on average.
Developing over 20 years, the company has...

...Contents
Introduction 2
Business Concept 2
Four Perspectives of OperationStrategy 2
Top-Down versus Bottom-Up Perspective 3
Top-Down Perspective 4
Bottom-Up Perspective 4
Market Requirement versus Operations Resources 4
Market Requirement Perspective 5
Operation Resources Perspective 5
Conclusion 5
Reference 6
Introduction
Zara is a Spanish fashion and accessories retailers that founded in 1975 by Amancio Ortega and Rosalia Mera (Ledesma, 2013). Zara designs, manufactures their apparel, footwear and accessories for men, women and sells up-to-minute “fashionabilty” at low prices throughout Europe, US and Asia Pacific (Bilsel, 2014) that clearly focused on one particular market ( Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers, Robert Johnston, Alan Betts, 2006)
Business Concept
The basic business concept of Zara is to maintain its design process, production and distribution that will allow Zara to respond quickly to changes in consumer demand by shipping new products to over 600 chains of Zara’s retail stores worldwide every few days (Tinataja, 2011)
Zara's success is based on a business system that reaches a speed of response to market demand that is not without precedent in the sector of fast-pace fashion clothes trend. Zara cycle of design, production and distribution is significantly faster than any of its major competitors. For most fashion retailers have a period of six months between the...

...Dell Computers Strategy
Global companies play an important role in the business environment, because they connect their business together around the world. A good example of a global company is Dell Inc., an American computer-hardware company, headquartered in Austin Texas, which develops, manufactures, sells and supports a wide range of personal computers, servers, data storage devices, network switches, personal digital assistants (PDAs), software, computer peripherals, and more. They design, build and customize products and services to satisfy a range of customer requirements: from the server, storage and Premier Services needs of the largest global corporations, to those of consumers at home. According to the Fortune 500 2006 list, Dell ranks as the 25th-largest company in the United States by revenue.
Dell Inc. has realized that the most efficient path to the customer is through a direct relationship, with no intermediaries to add confusion and cost. With the power of their direct model and their team of talented people, they are able to provide to their customers high-quality, relevant technology, customized systems, superior service and support and products and services that are easy to buy and use.
HISTORICAL REPORT
Dell Inc, was founded as “PC’s Limited” in 1984 by Michael Dell, while still a student at the University of Texas at Austin, with just...

...Product and Market Description 3
About Dell 4
Marketing Objectives of DELL 5
Products and Services 6
DELL’s Competitors and Market Players 7
Aggregate Market Forces 8
Microenvironment Analysis 10
Macro environment Analysis 13
Marketing Program, Strategy, and Tactics (4 Ps): 15
Dell Market Strategy 16
Value Chain Analysis 18
Differential Advantage for each company 20
Expected Future Strategies 22
Segmentation 23
Targeting 24
Positioning 24
Consumer Behavior 26
Assumptions in Planning Process 30
Value Proposition 31
Competitor’s Targeting 32
Conclusion 33
Product and Market Description
Laptop also known as notebook is a small portable computer compared to a desktop. Although the concept of a laptop was introduced as early as 1971, the first commercial portable computer, Osborne 1, was available only in 1981. Before Windows 95 came out, laptop was used by research institutions and untouchable to general public. As technology innovation has been repeatedly occurred, laptop became portable, inexpensive, and user-friendly. Desktop computers serve all the purposes a laptop does but with their bulk and masses of cables they’re not very portable. That’s where laptops gain prominence. Today Laptop PC industry is dynamic and has high demand from personal users in home and business users in their office. Its portability provides advantage for the users in terms of business...

... We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene, and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This paper focuses on Hindustan Unilever Ltd.(HUL).It shines light over the value chain process of HUL and the corporate strategies adopted by them for their efficient functioning. Hindustan Unilever Ltd is the largest fast moving consumer goods company in the world. HUL stands out in terms of their highly innovative products and ideas which in turn helps them to retain their position as the market leaders. This article also briefly describes the value chain process adopted by HUL to produce its wide range of product varieties. The core competency of HUL lies in its distribution system. The large and formidable distribution network used by the HUL consisting over 3400 distributors and 16 million outlets help them to ensure a longer shelf life for their products. Their reputation and goodwill among the consumers also make them a formidable presence in the industry. Since the majority stock option is controlled by the parent company Unilever, it gives HUL a global platform for their products. HUL introduced a five point corporate strategy to adapt itself to rising demands of tech savvy consumers which has been described in brief.
VALUE CHAIN PROCESS
HUL’s business process and its brands have an impact at every stage of the value chain - from procuring raw materials, manufacturing,...

...Corporate Strategy
The economic activities performed by Dell encompass the development, manufacturing, sale and support of personal computers and computer-related products.
Since its foundation, the company has been based on the Direct Model, i.e. Dell has always tried and managed to create direct relationships with its customers, by selling products directly and without the participation of intermediaries. The sale has always taken place through a telephone service or via the Internet.
In order to accomplish its goal of being as fast as possible in the delivery of the customized products it supplies, Dell has created an ample network of manufacturing plants around the world. The corporation is present in each continent and in most of the states with national basis. For instance, in Italy Dell has established its Italian department – Dell Italia.
What’s more, Dell has forced many of its suppliers to set their plants alongside its own facilities in order to minimize the time of the transactions that occur between them and the company itself. They provide the company with a constant flow of information regarding their inventory levels and, by contrast, the company contributes to the development of their performance and the decrease of their costs of production by providing them with the necessary training to keep reducing costs at a fast pace and meet its strict targets. In...

...FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCE, BUSINESS AND COMPUTING
MGMT7.04
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
Assignment 3
DUE: Monday, 27 May 2013, at 8.15 am.
Weighting: 30 % of final mark
Semester 1, 2013
Background
This assignment is based on Chapters 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the text (Slack & Lewis, 3rd edition) as detailed below. You will need to study and use some of the models or frameworks from these chapters to complete this assignment.
Chapter 5: Purchasing and Supply Strategy
Chapter 7: Improvement Strategy
Chapter 8: Product and service development and Organization
Chapter 9: The process of operationsstrategy-formulation and implementation
Chapter 10: The process of operationsstrategy-monitoring and control
Analysis and Report Guidelines
Your answer should be in a technical report format with page numbers, section and paragraph headings provided and properly referenced. In organizing your answers you should be guided by the marks allotted to each question. This should also help you in deciding the length and content of answers. You are encouraged to use or reference appropriate models or frameworks suggested in the text book by Slack and Lewis to improve the quality of your answers.
The report should contain the following:...

...CHAPTER
OperationsStrategy and Competitiveness
Before studying this chapter you should know or, if necessary, review 1. 2. The role of the OM function in organizations, Chapter 1, pp. 3–4. Differences between strategic and tactical decisions, Chapter 1, 9–10.
2
LEARNING OBJECTIVES After studying this chapter you should be able to
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Deﬁne the role of business strategy. Explain how a business strategy is developed. Explain the role of operationsstrategy in the organization. Explain the relationship between business strategy and operationsstrategy. Describe how an operationsstrategy is developed. Identify competitive priorities of the operations function. Explain the strategic role of technology. Deﬁne productivity and identify productivity measures. Compute productivity measures.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
The Role of OperationsStrategy 28 Developing a Business Strategy 29 Links to Practice: Dell Computer Corporation 34 Developing an OperationsStrategy 34 Links to Practice: Southwest Airlines Company 36 Links to Practice: FedEx Corporation 37
Strategic Role of Technology 40 Productivity 41 OM Across the Organization 46 Inside OM 47 Case: Prime Bank of Massachusetts 49 Case: Boseman Oil and...